Chapter 69 : Chapter 69
Chapter 69. A Spectacle of Filial Piety
“F-Four-Striped Retainer?!”
He blurted it out in a trembling voice, his tone going shrill.
That startled cry was like dumping a basin of icy water into a boiling iron pot.
Most of the relatives did not really understand what a “Four-Striped Retainer” specifically meant, but seeing the other party frightened into such a state, they knew at once that Xu Yuan was no ordinary figure, and their voices immediately quieted down.
Only Third Auntie remained oblivious. Tugging at her son, she said, “What are you shouting for, child? Can’t you see I’m talking things over with your Cousin Yuan?”
“A’Yuan is capable now. This is the perfect chance for him to help our family a little...”
“Help my ass!”
Anping violently shook off his mother’s hand. He was both anxious and furious, and his voice rose sharply. “Do you even know what status Cousin Yuan has now?”
“A Fourth Meridian martial artist, a Retainer of the Shangyang Family!”
“He’s the kind of man who can stand on equal footing even with the officials at the yamen! And you actually dared come here to mooch off him? How many lives do you think you have?!”
His words struck like a thunderclap, leaving the gathered relatives dumbstruck.
A Fourth Meridian martial artist?
Even government officials had to treat him politely?
Most people had no real concept of how powerful a martial artist was, but when it came to the weight carried by officials at the yamen, they understood that perfectly well.
The warmth and flattery from just moments ago vanished instantly, replaced by fear and unease. Everyone shrank back, avoiding Xu Yuan’s gaze, no longer daring to look at him.
The barrier of class had suddenly been thrown into full relief, leaving every single one of them utterly at a loss.
Only Third Uncle, perhaps blinded by greed, or perhaps believing that family ties were enough to rely on, stood there for a moment in shock before his eyes lit up instead. With a grin, he said,
“A Fourth Meridian martial artist? Oh my, then that makes him an even bigger figure!”
“If A’Yuan just lets a little slip through his fingers, it’ll be enough for us to live on for ages. Your younger cousin’s job also happens to need your help—”
“Dad, shut up already!”
Seeing his father so hopelessly unable to read the situation, Anping trembled with anger. Then, noticing Xu Yuan’s brow tightening and impatience already appearing in his eyes, he steeled himself and suddenly raised his hand.
Smack!
A crisp slap landed viciously across his father’s face.
The courtyard instantly fell silent, and everyone turned to look over, completely baffled.
Even Xu Yuan revealed a look of surprise as he watched this astonishing display of “filial piety.”
“Y-you...” Third Uncle was slapped senseless. Clutching his reddened left cheek, he stared at his son in disbelief.
With reddened eyes, Anping glared back at him and shouted, “I’m slapping some sense into you! At your age, can’t you see the situation clearly?”
“If Cousin Yuan is willing to acknowledge us as relatives, that’s a favor! If he doesn’t, that’s only natural!”
“Have you forgotten what we did back then? Hurry up and get out of here. Stop embarrassing yourself here and making trouble for Cousin Yuan!”
‘Interesting.’
Xu Yuan looked at him with some amusement.
Outwardly, this man seemed terrified, yet he kept calling him “Cousin Yuan” over and over. Clearly, he was trying to define this matter as a family affair.
That way, if Xu Yuan truly wanted to make a move, he might really have to consider his reputation and appearances a little.
“Xiao An...”
That slap completely woke everyone up. That was right—when the Xu family had fallen into hardship, when had any of them ever offered a helping hand? What face did they have now to demand support?
And now, seeing Xu Yuan’s detached expression, the thought of retreat immediately rose in their hearts.
“Sorry... Young Master Yuan, we’ll be leaving right away!”
“I just remembered Grandpa still has to enroll in private school, so... so we’ll be going now!”
“Right, right. My grandma has to go too. We’ll keep each other company on the way.”
“Sorry for disturbing you, sorry for disturbing you!”
The relatives were flushed red with embarrassment, their words tumbling out incoherently. None of them dared remain for even a moment longer. They all dragged along their own family members and fled in a sorry, panicked rush, as if a wild beast would start chasing them if they were even a second too slow.
Li Xiaoqian was the last to leave. Her expression was complicated as she looked at Xu Yuan’s calm, unreadable face, endless regret and bitterness surging in her heart.
Her lips parted, but in the end she could not say a single word. She only forced out a smile uglier than crying, then lowered her head and hurried away.
In the blink of an eye, the once-noisy courtyard returned to silence.
Only Xu Yuan, Xu Zheng and his wife, and Anping—still standing there alone after having slapped his own father, his face pale with fear—remained.
“C-Cousin Yuan,” the young man said, bowing deeply, his voice tight with nerves. “My father was ignorant and offended you. I apologize to you in his place. We absolutely will not dare to come disturb you again in the future.”
Looking at this distant younger cousin who still retained a shred of shame, Xu Yuan said indifferently, “Forget it. Since you understand reason, then manage your family well and work honestly. That is always better than pinning your hopes on others.”
“Yes, yes. Thank you for the instruction, Cousin Yuan.” The young man felt as though he had been granted amnesty. After bowing once more, he backed out and conveniently closed the courtyard door behind him.
At last, the courtyard was truly quiet.
Xu Zheng and Madam Zhang looked at each other. They felt both relieved and somewhat moved by how cold and fickle the world could be.
“A’Yuan, you...” Xu Zheng looked at his younger brother, at a loss for words for a moment. Had his younger brother really already reached the point where these snobbish relatives feared him like a tiger?
“Big Brother, Sister-in-law, it’s fine now.” Xu Yuan handed over the gifts in his hands, his tone turning gentle again. “These are some things to eat and wear. Keep them. My position in the Shangyang Family is fairly stable now. People like that won’t come bothering you again in the future.”
Madam Zhang took the things, her eyes reddening slightly. “A’Yuan, you really have made something of yourself... I-I’ll go make you something to eat.”
Xu Zheng nodded heavily and gave Xu Yuan’s shoulder a firm pat. In the end, all the thousands of words in his heart condensed into one sentence: “Good, good. Just be careful out there.”
“Why are you making it sound so serious?” Xu Yuan laughed as he patted his elder brother’s shoulder. “If I remember right, you’re still working for the Labor Guild?”
“Yes. The old masters there treat me pretty well.” Xu Zheng nodded, puzzled as to why he was asking about this.
“The Labor Guild isn’t bad, but the work is still rather tough.” After thinking for a moment, Xu Yuan said, “How about this? There’s a Fuji Cloth Shop nearby. Big Brother, go to the shop tomorrow and work there as a bookkeeper.”
“Is that really true?” Hearing that, Xu Zheng stared at him in surprise.
Fuji Cloth Shop specialized in mid- to high-end fabrics and was quite famous in this area. For an ordinary person, even getting an ordinary job there required spending money and pulling strings, much less becoming a bookkeeper.
Just the slightest bit of grease that leaked from between the cracks there was enough for an ordinary person to live on for quite a long time.
Xu Yuan nodded. “Fuji is one of the Shangyang Family’s businesses. I’ve already made the arrangements with someone, so just go without worry.”
Then he smiled and teased, “And if you do well in the future, maybe you could even become the shopkeeper. Then we could all benefit from your success too.”
“You brat.”
Xu Zheng shot him an annoyed glance, but his heart warmed. He knew Xu Yuan had arranged this specially for his sake, so he answered solemnly, “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely do this job well.”
“I’ve always trusted Big Brother’s ability,” Xu Yuan said with a smile.
“What are you two brothers whispering about? You’re even more long-winded than me, a mere woman of the house. Come eat already!” At that moment, his sister-in-law’s voice came from inside.
“Sister-in-law, Big Brother has been secretly hiding private money from you. I know where he put it.” Xu Yuan took the lead and darted inside.
“You little brat.” Xu Zheng’s expression changed, and he quickly followed him into the main room.
Up ahead, it seemed as though a Five-Finger Mountain was already waiting to trap him.
...
By the time Xu Yuan returned to the Residence, the news of his breakthrough to the Fourth Meridian and his Benlei Fist reaching Small Success had already spread.
He had just come out from paying a visit to Feng Xiao when he was surrounded by a group of people.
Among them were martial instructors who had taught him before, including Instructor Chen Ze, as well as martial trainees from the same training compound as him. Their realms varied, but all of them had come to offer congratulations.
Naturally, Xu Yuan did not put on airs. He observed every courtesy and did his best to make everyone who came to congratulate him leave smiling.
These people were full of praise, pouring out one flattering remark after another. It almost made even him start to believe that he was some peerless genius seen once in ten thousand.
But not a bit of it made him grow conceited.
After all, even peerless geniuses had plenty who died young. Even the Desolate Heavenly Emperor had his Supreme Bone torn out in childhood and faced a rough road ahead, so how could Xu Yuan be any exception?
And the ripples caused by Xu Yuan’s seizure of Changning Street were far from settling down anytime soon.